Camp Tekoa is a summer camp associated with the Western North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church, established in Hendersonville, North Carolina, in 1949.  Its mission is "Touching Hearts, Changing Lives, and Sharing the Light of Christ".

Camp Programs

Camp Tekoa was originally a camp for junior-high school students.  It now serves children ages 5-18 in a variety of camp types, such as Elementary Day Camp, Elementary , Middle, and High School overnight camps, and Adventure Camps for middle and high school children.

In addition to providing summer camp opportunities to children from all over the world, Tekoa also provides camps for adults with special needs in both the summer and the fall.  In the off-season, Tekoa plays host to many different groups throughout the year, ranging from school groups and outdoor education groups to church groups and spiritual retreats. 

Another service that Camp Tekoa provides to the surrounding area is its after-school program, Let's Grow Outside.  The program works to incorporate outdoor play and creativity into its curriculum as well as provide opportunities for spiritual growth.  This program has grown in recent years to even provide after school services to middle school students.   

Camp Organization

Camp Tekoa has a unique format for organizing its summer camps.  The campers are organized by camp type and age group into groups that are called "Family Groups".  Each Family Group will have roughly seven boys and seven girls in it, with one male and one female Family Group Leader responsible for the group. The groups are scheduled at the beginning of each week to participate in the various camp activities, such as swimming, canoeing, gem mining, etc.  They are also scheduled to participate in high adventure activities such as zip lining, rock climbing, and going through the challenge course.  While at camp, campers will do everything with their Family Groups.

The Family Groups and their Leaders are supported by various support staff: the Kitchen team (K-Team), the Adventure team (A-Team), lifeguards, and various Resource staff and Coordinators.  Each support staff member has daily duties, such as running the rock climbing wall, leading caving trips, preparing and serving meals, and guarding the waterfront.  In addition to these duties, the support staff provide the Family Groups with direct support through aid in behavior management and by providing breaks and extra help.